Tried It & Loved It: Sausage & Swiss Chard Frittata

Well, this one is just a lovely little number.  I had been wanting to try some different types of dark leafy greens (other than spinach) and when I came across this, I knew it was a perfect way to try my first encounter with chard.  Luckily, the nice produce man was there to point me in the right direction.  I had an idea of what chard looked like, but I couldn't seem to find any.  Apparently our store only sells it in the organic section.  I remember learning in my "research" that some things are actually easier to grow without pesticides because the food is so delicate, that it can't withstand all the chemicals....I am guessing Swiss chard is one of those?

Anyhow, I loved this and Hubs and Peanut both ate two slices.  I'd say I'll definitely be making this again!  (Although, I learned according to Peanut that if we have something for dinner, it can under NO certain terms be served for breakfast.  Dinner leftovers may be served for lunch, but served for breakfast?  Meltdowns of epic proportions.  Then she had no problem eating the leftovers at lunch several hours later.  Our little creature of habit. 

Sausage and Swiss Chard Frittata ~ from the Family Balance Sheet

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ red onion, chopped (I used yellow)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lb sausage, casings removed. (I used chicken sausage)
½ - 1 full bunch Swiss chard, washed, dried, chopped fine (mine was Rainbow Chard and it was so pretty)
6 large eggs
¾ cup Parmesan
½ cup milk (I used cream....trying to use some up)
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray and set aside. 

In a large saute pan over medium heat, brown and cook through sausage in olive oil.  Stir in onions and garlic and cook until onions are tender.

I cooked the chard a little different than Kristia did.  I stripped the greens off the chard stems first in order to give the thick stems a head start in cooking.  I did this by holding the stems in one hand and pulling the leaves off with the other hand.  Simply run your hand down the stems and the leaves will strip right off.  I chopped up the stems into a small dice and sauteed those with the sausage and onions until they were tender.  I then roughly chopped the leaves of the chard and added those and as soon as they started to wilt, I transferred all of it to the pie pan. 

In separate bowl, whisk eggs and stir in cheese, milk, and salt and pepper.  Pour over sausage mixture and bake for about 30 minutes or until eggs are set.